EP publication 0 467 071 A2 discloses a subscriber terminal in a telecommunication system. A conventional alarm tone indicating an incoming call can be replaced with vibration the user can sense. A device implementing the vibration can be located in the casing of the subscriber terminal or it can be a separate device that is connected to the subscriber terminal through a wired or a wireless data transmission connection.
Publications WO 93/15590 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,696,497 disclose a radio transceiver that employs both silent and audible alarm. Silent alarm can be implemented by vibration, for instance. The radio transceiver informs the user of an incoming call using the silent alarm and if the user does not answer the call within a predetermined time, the radio transceiver gives an audible alarm using tones. The device implementing the vibration is located in the subscriber terminal. The radio transceiver can also automatically change the alarm mode employed from silent alarm alone to audible alarm when the radio transceiver is connected to an external power supply or a holder. The user can control the duration of the alarm and the periodic alternation of silent and audible alarms.
EP publication 0 688 125 A1 discloses a mobile station employing a vibrating alarm. A device implementing the vibration is located in a module separate from the mobile station, for instance in a battery of the mobile station. Apart from vibration, the silent alarm can be implemented with a light, an electric signal or air, for example.
Computer games employ controllers by which attempts are made to model the game's onscreen virtual reality. For instance, at the Internet address http://www.force-feedback.com there is a description of a force feedback mouse providing a tactile sensation that can be used for controlling a portable computer, for instance. By means of the mouse, it is possible to model the onscreen reality. The mouse provides tactile feedback. For instance, when the cursor clicks an onscreen button, the user feels in the mouse a snap that represents clicking. It is also possible to sense e.g. various surface materials with the mouse. If the computer display shows ice, the mouse simulates a sliding movement especially the speed of movement when the cursor is passing over the ice, as compared with the cursor moving over sand shown on screen. When moving over the sand, the mouse can also shake.
The above describes tactile alarm modes informing of an incoming call and user interfaces attempting to model virtual reality by means of touch. Mobile telephones are also known which inform the user with even vibration that he has selected a closing function, i.e. power switch-off, or an opening function, i.e. power switch-on.
In portable devices, such as mobile telephones, rather limited interest has been shown in the needs of handicapped persons. For instance, very little attention has been paid to the needs of aurally or visually impaired people. Visually impaired persons have had at their disposal programmable shortcut function keys. A person with normal eyesight has in that case programmed a telephone number to be dialed with one key. A problem with this solution is the small number of programmable keys.
An object of the invention is to provide an improved portable device, and improved method of giving the user information on the operation of the device and an improved computer program product encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process for method of giving the user information on the operation of the device. According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided portable device, comprising: control means for monitoring and controlling the operation of the device; and a user interface which comprises alarm means for performing a silent alarm producing a silent, invisible; tactile sensation in the user. The control means are arranged to give the user abstract information on multiple internal operational events of the device by using various silent alarm patterns of silent, invisible sensations produced by the alarm means and sensed by the user, the alarm patterns differing from one another such that at least one alarm pattern characteristic sensed by the user varies, said abstract information comprising a notification of a specific internal operational event of the device.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a portable device, comprising: control means for monitoring and controlling the operation of the device; and a user interlace which comprises alarm means for performing a silent alarm producing a silent, invisible, tactile sensation in the user. The control means are arranged to give the user abstract information on multiple internal operational events of the device by using various silent alarm patterns of silent, invisible sensations produced by the alarm means and sensed by the user, the alarm patterns differing from one another such that at least one alarm pattern characteristic sensed by the user varies, said abstract information comprising a notification of a specific telephone number appearing at the user interface of the device while the user is selecting the desired telephone number prior to starting the call.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a portable device, comprising: control means for monitoring and controlling the operation of the device; and a user interface which comprises alarm means for performing a silent alarm producing a silent, invisible, tactile sensation in the user. The control means are arranged to give the user abstract information on multiple internal operational events of the device by using various silent alarm patterns of silent, invisible sensations produced by the alarm means and sensed by the user, the alarm patterns differing from one another such that at least one alarm pattern characteristic sensed by the user varies, said abstract information comprising an error message to the user about a specific operational event of the device.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of giving the user information on the operation of the device, which comprises: detecting an event that concerns the operation of the device and interest the user with the control means of the portable device, if at, least one silent alarm pattern producing silent, invisible, tactile sensation in the user is attached to the event, giving the user abstract information on multiple internal operational events of the device by using at least one silent alarm pattern, produced by the alarm means and sensed by the user, the various alarm patterns differing from one another such that at least one alarm pattern characteristic sensed by the user varies, said abstract information comprising a notification of a specific internal operational event of the device.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of giving the user information on the operation of the device, which comprises: detecting an event that concerns the operation of the device and interest the user with the control means of the portable device, if at least one silent alarm pattern producing silent, invisible, tactile sensation in the user is attached to the event, giving the user abstract information on multiple internal operational events of the device by using at least one silent alarm pattern, produced by the alarm means and sensed by the user, the various alarm patterns differing from one another such that at least one alarm pattern characteristic sensed by the user varies, said abstract information comprising a notification of a specific telephone number appearing at the user interface of the device while the user is selecting the desired telephone number prior to starting the call.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a 15 method of giving the user information on the operation of the device, which comprises: detecting an event that concerns the operation of the device and interest the user with the control means of the portable device, if at least one silent alarm pattern producing silent, invisible, tactile sensation in the user is attached to the event, giving the user abstract information on multiple internal operational events of the device by using at least one silent alarm pattern, produced by the alarm means and sensed by the user, the various alarm patterns differing from one another such that at least one alarm pattern characteristic sensed by the user varies, said abstract information comprising an error message to the user about a specific operational event of the device.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer program product encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process for method of giving the user information on the operation of the device, the process comprising: detecting an event that concerns the operation of the device and interests the user with the control means of the portable device; if at least one silent alarm pattern producing silent, invisible, tactile sensation in the user is attached to the event, the user is given abstract information on multiple internal operational events of the device by using at least one silent alarm pattern, produced by the alarm means and sensed by the user, the various alarm patterns differing from one another such that at least one alarm pattern characteristic sensed by the user varies, said abstract information comprising a notification of a specific internal operational event of the device.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer program product encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process for method of giving the user information on the operation of the device, the process comprising: detecting an event that concerns the operation of the device and interests the user with the control means of the portable device; if at least one silent alarm pattern producing silent, invisible, tactile sensation in the user is attached to the event, the user is given abstract information on multiple internal operational events of the device by using at least one silent alarm pattern, produced by the alarm means and sensed by the user, the various alarm patterns differing from one another such that at least one alarm pattern characteristic sensed by the user varies, said abstract information comprising a notification of a specific telephone number appearing at the user interface of the device while the user is selecting the desired telephone number prior to starting the call.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer program product encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process for method of giving the user information on the operation of the device, the process comprising: detecting an event that concerns the operation of the device and interests the user with the control means of the portable device; if at least one silent alarm pattern producing silent, invisible, tactile sensation in the user is attached to the event, the user is given abstract information on multiple internal operational events of the device by using at least one silent alarm pattern, produced by the alarm means and sensed by the user, the various alarm patterns differing from one another such that at least one alarm pattern characteristic sensed by the user varies, said abstract information comprising an error message to the user about a specific operational event of the device.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer program product encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process for method of giving the user information on the operation of the device, the process comprising: detecting an event that concerns the operation of the device and interests the user with the control means of the portable device; if at least one silent alarm pattern producing silent, invisible, tactile sensation in the user is attached to the event, the user is given abstract information on multiple internal operational events of the device by using at least one silent alarm pattern, produced by the alarm means and sensed by the user, the various alarm patterns differing from one another such that at least one alarm pattern characteristic sensed by the user varies, said abstract information comprising a notification of a selected item on the menu of the user interface.
The invention is based on the idea that means of portable devices, by which e.g. a silent alarm informing of an incoming call can be given, will be used for giving the user also other abstract information, not modeling reality, by utilizing specific silent alarm patterns the user is able to feel. For instance, vibrating alarms have been widely used for years in mobile telephones. However, nobody has thought of using this feature, which causes extra costs and requires a bigger size, for other purposes than for alarming of an incoming call and informing of the switch-on and switch-off of the mobile telephone, always using the same kind of vibration. Surprisingly, by using different alarm patterns, in addition to the incoming call alarm that normally reiterates the same pattern, complex, abstract information can be conveyed to the user by means of vibration. One idea of the invention is thus a kind of ‘coded vibration’. In particular, persons with impaired hearing and/or vision detect clearly changes in vibration properties, because their sense of feeling is more developed than normally. One can think that the invention implements a kind of limited application of Braille system by means of vibration. Naturally, the persons with normal senses can also benefit from the invention, since, for example, a person at-tending a meeting or staying in a noisy environment can get information on the operation of his telephone without having to take it out of the pocket. For in-stance, a very important caller can be identified, and the called party can leave the room and answer the telephone.